A Play by Jamal K.
Performance: July 2004
Youth Guidance Center, San Francisco
Time: Night time, around Christmas Time
Place: Sunny Dale Projects, a ghetto house. They see Tay, Hop, Tay Tay, Nay Nay, Joe, Bu Bu. Then they see things like the fish tank on top of the heater; black leather couches with a nice little gold and black coffee table. They see champagne the dog. They smell the Christmas tree. They got a fat stereo, a Play Station with the game “Need for Speed”. Because when Mac Mall come over, that the first thing he play.
At Rise: The socket, Joe Cheese, been around forever and he goin to live to the end. Junk, a TV is 27 inches. The socket’s ready to go to sleep, but the TV still try to shine, brighten up the room, even at night. Nah mean? (Yah mean?)
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Joe Cheese:
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What you think is in that box?
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Junk:
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I don’t know Joe. But I hope it’s somethin’ for us, like a DVD player or somethin’. So you know I can still shine. You know what I’m talkin’ about? Ha! |
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Joe Cheese:
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All I really want is a friend.
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Junk:
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You do have a friend. I’m your friend.
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Joe Cheese:
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Man, you’re really selfish, basically.
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Junk:
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Why you say that?
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Joe Cheese:
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All you worried about is shinin’ and keepin’ the room bright!
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Junk:
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What’s wrong with that?
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| Joe Cheese: |
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Man, I’ve been here forever & you’re new & you just got all the attention. & You’re not understanding this is my house. I run the show here. If you got a problem, I’ll cut you short.
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| Junk: |
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I thought you was my friend. But you takin’ it too seriously man. Cut me short? That means I gotta go back to Radio Shack. Man hold on we need to work somethin’ out. Because you puttin the family through too much. Including me too!
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Joe Cheese:
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How am I putting the family through too much? For one you’re selfish. You really just care about yourself. Not, the family.
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| Junk: |
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How dare you say somethin’ like that. You trying to put me down. Ya know how many times Tay Tay and Nay Nay come up here and watch Nicolodean? They watch me, they ain’t watchin’ the plug. So check yourself little daddy, before you wreck yourself.
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| Joe Cheese: |
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They call me Joe Cheese. When you here my name get on your knees. because I’m the power box. Other than that, you ain’t nothin without Hop.
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Junk:
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Why because she pay the bills & keep the electricity goin? Hey, my name Junk , 27 inch TV. She want a big screen TV and I can’t comply with that but I can still shine even though I’m 27 inches. Everybody get my attention even though it’s in my mind. Ya dig?
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| Joe: |
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Yeah, I dig. But check game. You don’t know nothin’ that go on in this house. If you wanna be hard headed, I’m gonna just lay it out. Because we ain’t goin’ nowhere with this. But when she get that big screen TV, you’ll understand what I was tryin’ to tell you all along.
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| Junk: |
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Man, I didn’t see the game like that. Maybe it’s just cause my minds goin’ crazy. I guess I’m movin’ to fast in the fast lane. I think it’s about time I slow down and learn from my elders, cause right now I’m still a little boy, you know how it is we all got joy like a little boy, who just got his first toy –
(Joe cut him off)
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| Joe: |
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Hold on, I didn’t know you had a power button like that. I thought you was just a hardcore box with a hard screen, that didn’t understand about this life that we livin’.
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| Junk: |
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So where you think I’m messin up at? Because it’s really more than just me feeling like I’m shinin. I just wanted to be here and let them know that I can be as bright as a big screen TV. |
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Joe:
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They got bills to pay and if you could help out then that’s great, cuz I really ain’t got much to say about what you do. But we can do this together and stand tall, like tall Tay. Because I love you like a brother and you might not have been here too long, but you have a kind power button. I just was really lonely from the jump. I just wanted to see how you really fell about the family and about yourself.
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Junk:
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I didn’t want to never give you hard times. I thought we was close friends from the start.
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Joe:
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We more than friends, you my little brother, to me now. Or should I say from the beginning, you was my little brother. And I love you little bro. You never gave me hard times little bro so keep shinin, and do what you do best.
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The End. |
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